Interpreting kinematics graph: What do students’ show?

Abstract

This study investigates students’ interpretation of kinematics graphs. Hundred and twenty-one students who take physics class were chosen to solve problems that involved analyzing graphs about position, velocity, and acceleration versus time. Interviews were conducted to reveal the students’ difficulties while solving kinematics problems. The result emphasizes that students were able to determine velocity (if given position-time graph) and acceleration (if given velocity-time graph). However, students faced difficulty in selecting textual descriptions and choosing the corresponding graph if given a kinematics graph. These findings suggest that learning physics should be increased emphasis on analyzing kinematics graph deeply.